Cocodrill

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of crocodile, referring to a large predatory reptile with a long snout and powerful jaws that lives in tropical rivers
2. Another old form of the word for a large carnivorous reptile of warm waters, with armored skin and a long, toothy snout
3. A obsolete variant spelling naming the big scaly river reptile that lies in wait at the water's edge to ambush prey

Etymology: The spelling "cocodrill" is an older English form of "crocodile," and it reached English through Old French "cocodrille." Behind that lies Latin "crocodilus," borrowed from the Greek "krokodeilos." The Greek is most likely a compound of "krokē," meaning pebble or gravel, and "drilos," meaning worm or lizard-like creature, a name probably inspired by the reptile's habit of basking on sandbanks and riverside stones. The exact Greek sense is debated, so that breakdown should be read as the most likely explanation rather than settled fact. Medieval English writers knew the animal mainly through travel accounts and bestiaries, not direct observation, so spellings varied widely. Forms like "cocodrill" and "cokedrille" appear in Middle English texts, showing the word still reflecting its French route before the spelling was standardised toward the Latin-influenced "crocodile" in later centuries.